Genes integral in ability to work in team – study

A person’s ability to work with other people could be partly down to their genes, scientists said yesterday.

Researchers suggested genetics plays as much a part as cultural factors when it comes to determining how successfully an individual operates in a group.

They said the findings could have implications for any team set-up, such as in business, sport or the armed forces.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh questioned 1,000 pairs of adult twins on their attitudes to forming groups with people from different racial and religious backgrounds.

They found that identical twins, who share the same genes, gave very similar responses. On the other hand, non-identical twins were much more likely to differ in their answers.

The findings suggest that strong genetic factors have a “major influence” on a person’s attitudes to social groups, the research team said.

The study is said to be the first to look at the impact of both genetics and the environment on how people form any sort of coalition.

Scientists said factors like ethnicity and religion were key environmental influences which also seemed to determine how successfully a group will operate.

They also found that being part of a strong religious group made people less likely to focus on ethnic and racial differences when it came to forming bonds.

Timothy Bates, professor at the university’s school of philosophy, psychology and language sciences, who led the research, said: “The success of a coalition reflects the genetic make-up of the group members as well as cultural factors such as shared goals, beliefs and traditions.

“This research could be applied to investigate affiliation in areas such as work, sport and the military.”